Open AccessThe release of secretory vesicle in encysting Giardia lamblia
Author(s) -
Benchimol Marlene
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2004.tb09570.x
Subject(s) - vesicle , exocytosis , giardia lamblia , secretory vesicle , extracellular vesicle , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , fragmentation (computing) , vesicle fusion , lipid bilayer fusion , extracellular , secretion , membrane , biochemistry , microvesicles , synaptic vesicle , ecology , microrna , gene
Giardia is an intestinal parasite that undergoes adaptation for survival outside the host. It secretes an extracellular cyst wall using a poorly understood process. An encystation‐specific secretory vesicle (ESV) was previously described containing cyst wall proteins. The process of release of these vesicles has been suggested to occur after fragmentation of large ESV in small secretory vesicles, followed by exocytosis, but it was not demonstrated. The release of the ESV was studied by transmission electron microscopy. It was observed: (1) the moment of vesicle release; (2) that a large vesicle is exocytosed and does not fragment into small vesicles; (3) membrane fusion is distinct from traditional exocytosis since it is incomplete; (4) the occurrence of membrane fragmentation and that those membranes reseal to form ghosts; (5) these membrane ghosts may be endocytosed, adhered to flagellar surface or/and form empty vesicles in the extracellular medium.